Some 2,000 Arab-Bedouins from the Negev staged a demonstration on Thursday morning outside of the government offices in Be’er Sheva, demanding the state rescind its plan to demolish homes in their community. Last week, a police unit entered Bir Hadaj village to distribute demolition orders. On Wednesday the police entered the village to arrest ten people that they claimed used force against the police. When brought in front of the judge she dismissed the charges, saying that the police is charging these people without sufficient evidence.

The Arab-Bedouin Demonstration in Beer-Sheva (photo:  RCUV)

“Not only they want to demolish houses, none of the residents have permits to build new houses,” said Dr. Thabet Abu Rass, director of the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights. “While the media is busy with the elections, the state has opened a war of destruction against the Bedouin villages,” Abu Rass said, adding that “people are afraid they won’t have a roof over their heads.”

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to throw us from our lands, destroy our homes, put us all together in a tiny place, who the hell knows where — how’s that possible?” one village leader, Muhammed al-Amour Nassasrah, complained to Xinhua news agency.